Royal Artillery Structure

Discussion in 'Royal Artillery' started by Midge, Sep 18, 2018.

  1. Midge

    Midge Member

    Hello,

    Can anybody out there explain the difference between Royal Artillery Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiments, Heavy Anti-Aircraft Batteries, Light Anti-Aircraft Regiments and Light Anti-Aircraft Batteries?

    It's all a bit confusing and makes trying to track down records a nightmare.

    Thanks

    Midge
     
  2. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Very simple & basic explanation to start with.

    Several Batteries make up a Regiment.

    Heavy AA would use 3.7 inch guns.
    Light AA would use 40mm Bofors.

    Others will elaborate.
     
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  3. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    3.7 inch

    upload_2018-9-18_20-54-25.jpeg

    40mm Bofors
    [​IMG]

    40mm Bofors SP

    [​IMG]
     
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  4. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Midge what records are you trying to track down?
     
  5. Midge

    Midge Member

    436 Battery under 128 HAA Regiment for March 1944 i think
     
  6. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

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  7. Midge

    Midge Member

    ...and an independent battery? I assume this literally operates independently of any regiment?
     
  8. Midge

    Midge Member

    I don't suppose their is a list out there that shows which batteries were under which regiments and when during WW2.
     
  9. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

    Last edited: Sep 19, 2018
  10. Reid

    Reid Historian & Architectural Photographer

    Is that first site up and running again? I haven't been able to access for a couple of years and currently, it still won't connect, which is a great pity because it was a great site!
     
  11. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

    The web site Royal Artillery 1939-45 is still available through web.archive.org. Try this link instead.
    Royal Artillery 1939-45

    Tim
     
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  12. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    Presumably so!

    If I remember correctly from the inter-war history of the RA, the Battery was the principal unit of organization up until some time in the mid 1930s, and they could and did operate independently.
     
  13. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Midge

    Just to confuse things a little more, it was rare to find RA regiments where Battery numbers were consecutive.

    In my mob, the 49th LAA ,there were 3 batteries, namely, the 84th, the 90th, and the 280th.

    Ron
     
  14. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

    And to add to confusion. When my Dad joined up in Sep 39 he was in 90th Battery which was then part of 35th Regt LAA. 35th LAA had five Batteries 78, 89, 90, 137 and 144. Mid 1940 it was reorganised and standardised to three Batteries 78, 89 and 144. My Dad went to 78 Battery.
    Prior to the issue of Bofors the Regiment was equipped with Lewis and Vickers Mk V111 guns.

    Tim
     
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  15. Midge

    Midge Member

    Was it possible for a light anti-aircraft battery to be part of a heavy anti-aircraft regiment?
     
  16. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

    Don't know the definitive answer. However in my Dad's case 35th Regt LAA were in Malaya/Singapore when 78 Battery and one Troop 89 Battery were detached and then attached to 6th Regt HAA to defend the airfields and oil refineries in Sumatra. During this period they came under command of 6th HAA rather than 35th LAA.

    Tim
     
  17. Derek Barton

    Derek Barton Senior Member

    Was it possible for a light anti-aircraft battery to be part of a heavy anti-aircraft regiment?

    At the start of the war there were no Heavy and Light AA Regts, they were just AA Regts. They consisted of a number of HAA Btys with usually a single LAA Bty. As the 40mm Bofors became more widely available the LAA Btys were withdrawn and formed into LAA Regts.

    Btys of all sorts were often taken from parent regts and attached to other units as required. So yes, a LAA Bty could be part of a HAA Regt on a temporary basis.

    Derek

    Sorry the web site link isn't working, I will update my profile. New site coming later this year.
     
  18. Gary Kennedy

    Gary Kennedy Member

    Nice to see you posting Derek, and happy to hear the website will be coming back too.

    Gary
     
  19. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

    Derek, I always thought this was your site which has archived and is available at Royal Artillery 1939-45.

    Tim
     
  20. Derek Barton

    Derek Barton Senior Member

    Yes, that was mine. It was hosted on free web space provided by my ISP. They pulled the plug on the free space some time back and I have been out of action for some time and was unable to do anything about it. Now I am back in action, I am rebuilding the site. I hope to have it back up later this year.

    Derek
     
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